荟萃分析与实验证据表明,蜜蜂微孢子虫感染对蜜蜂碳水化合物消耗没有影响。
Meta-Analysis and Experimental Evidence Reveal No Impact of Nosema ceranae Infection on Honeybee Carbohydrate Consumption.
作者信息
Ostap-Chec Monika, Antoł Weronika, Bajorek Daniel, Berbeć Ewelina, Moroń Dawid, Rapacz Marcin, Miler Krzysztof
机构信息
Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland.
Department of Bees Breeding, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Breeding, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland.
出版信息
Microb Ecol. 2025 May 30;88(1):56. doi: 10.1007/s00248-025-02550-z.
Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are indispensable pollinators for ecosystem stability and agricultural productivity. However, they face numerous challenges, including pathogens threatening their survival and ecosystem services. Among these pathogens, Nosema ceranae, a microsporidian parasite, causes significant damage to the intestinal tract and induces energetic imbalances in the organism, posing a major threat to both individual bees and entire colonies. In response to infections, bees often engage in behavioral defenses, such as self-medicating with antimicrobial substances available in their environment. We hypothesized that bees infected with N. ceranae might compensate behaviorally by increasing their carbohydrate consumption. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a meta-analysis of existing studies comparing sugar consumption in healthy and infected bees, complemented by an experimental study. In our experiment, we measured sugar intake and quantified trehalose levels in the hemolymph, a key indicator of energy reserves. Both the meta-analysis and experimental results consistently showed no significant differences in sugar consumption between healthy and infected bees. Similarly, trehalose levels in the hemolymph remained comparable between the two groups. Our findings suggest that the infection caused by N. ceranae does not elicit compensatory feeding behavior in honeybees. Moreover, the meta-analysis revealed significant gaps in current research, particularly a lack of studies focusing on forager bees, which face the highest energetic demands among colony members. Our findings call for future studies on the energetic effects of nosemosis and studies conducted under natural or semi-natural conditions.
蜜蜂(西方蜜蜂)是维持生态系统稳定和农业生产力不可或缺的传粉者。然而,它们面临着众多挑战,包括威胁其生存和生态系统服务的病原体。在这些病原体中,微孢子虫寄生虫蜜蜂微孢子虫对肠道造成严重损害,并导致机体能量失衡,对个体蜜蜂和整个蜂群都构成重大威胁。为应对感染,蜜蜂常采取行为防御措施,比如利用环境中可得的抗菌物质进行自我治疗。我们推测,感染蜜蜂微孢子虫的蜜蜂可能会通过增加碳水化合物摄入量来进行行为补偿。为验证这一假设,我们对比较健康蜜蜂和感染蜜蜂糖分消耗情况的现有研究进行了荟萃分析,并辅以一项实验研究。在我们的实验中,我们测量了糖分摄入量,并对血淋巴中的海藻糖水平进行了量化,血淋巴是能量储备的关键指标。荟萃分析和实验结果均一致表明,健康蜜蜂和感染蜜蜂在糖分消耗上没有显著差异。同样,两组之间血淋巴中的海藻糖水平也相当。我们的研究结果表明,蜜蜂微孢子虫引起的感染不会引发蜜蜂的补偿性取食行为。此外,荟萃分析揭示了当前研究存在的显著差距,尤其是缺乏针对觅食蜜蜂的研究,而觅食蜜蜂在蜂群成员中面临着最高的能量需求。我们的研究结果呼吁未来开展关于微孢子虫病能量效应的研究,以及在自然或半自然条件下进行的研究。